


Mann + Assistants .vs. Machine

by orphan_account



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Anger Management, Canon-Typical Violence, Dad Spy, Fear, Hurt/Comfort, Killer Robots, Killing, Mann vs. Machine, Mentors, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Team as Family, Training, Unethical Experimentation, love between the kids, red team - Freeform, teaching kids how to kill people i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-19 07:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14231820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There's no way to sugar-coat it.It's a war, plain and simple. The team is capable, but sometimes it seems like the robots just don't stop coming. To try and make it easier, the Administrator finds another team of younger, more optimistic minds to assist the team.Against her better judgement, Miss Pauling sets out to find the people listed and finds herself at a high school graduation.(I know how completely canon-divergent this is but just let me have this please.)ADDITIONALLY; I won't be updating this much anymore. I'll do my best and if more people enjoy it then I will!





	1. Chapter 1: Introductions

She might have wanted to cry. The kids in front of her were barely legal. Miss Pauling walked up to them anyway, studying the nine teenagers in front of her.  
“I assume you’ve read the letter you all received prior to today?” 

Nine heads bobbed up and down. 

“Good. I’ll be here in three days to take you to your new work location then, so take that as time to say goodbye, pack, whatever you need to do.”  
She checked off a few things on her checklist and turned to leave.  
_______________________

Exactly three days later, Miss Pauling was waiting for the same nine teenagers by an old, red van. The first to arrive was a boy with solid black hair and glasses. He waved at her, setting his suitcase by his feet and dropping his messenger bag on it.   
“Hello again, Miss Pauling.”

She offered him a smile as well, helping him move his things into the trunk of the van. He held onto his bag, opting to carry it on him.   
“So, you’re… Jackson South?” 

Miss Pauling looked through her files, finding his face and reading off his file. He nodded, fixing his glasses.   
She chuckled, seeing his assigned mentor. 

“You’ll be studying with Soldier. Best of luck.”  
She gave him a pat on the shoulder, ignoring his confused expression. More people began to appear and the small talk faded into the van.   
________________________

The group sat in an uncomfortable silence, two girls talking quietly in the back. Miss Pauling drove up front, making the situation more awkward.

Finally, a sharply dressed girl with a long braid down her shoulder cleared her throat.  
“We might as well get introductions out of the way. My name is Claire Ju, I’m working with their Medic. And, I’m Chinese.”

The boy next to her flashed everyone a casual smile. He had dark skin and eyes almost equally dark.  
“I’m Morgan Falls, working with their weapons expert. Heavy, I think.”

The next to speak was a pale-skinned girl with green eyes and long blonde hair. She had been talking with the girl with short, dirty blonde hair and freckled face.   
“May and Tessa Bowler. Spy and Scout, respectively.”

Jackson gave everyone a small, friendly smile.  
“Jackson South, I’m gonna be working with their Soldier.” 

“Tyson Jong. I’m with their Engineer, and no, I’m Korean. Not Japanese.”   
He looked away and closed his eyes again.

A girl with neon wristbands and pale blue hair grinned widely.   
“I’m June Ryder! I’m with their Sniper, and it’s pretty great to meet you all.”

Everyone smiled a bit, her happiness making the atmosphere lighter. A boy with ashy brown hair clapped his hands together, giving everyone a lopsided smile.  
“Hey, I’m Adam Hudson. I’ll be with their Demolitions Expert. And this is my friend, Reid Mason. He’s with their Pyro.”

Reid gave everyone a smile.

Tessa stretched and sighed.  
“So, now that that’s over with. Does anyone know what we’re gonna be doing?” 

Claire raised an eyebrow.   
“You signed on for a job without reading for details?” 

Tessa shrugged.   
May cut in. “Well our family didn’t exactly have enough money to send us to college. An opportunity like this dropped into our laps, and we took it. What else would we do?”

Claire nodded.  
“So how old are you guys?”

They went around the group again and everyone was relieved to find that they were all 18, with the exception of Reid and Tyson who were 19.   
Just as they melted into comfortable small talk, Miss Pauling opened the door. 

“Hey guys! Hope you all got along well. We’re stopping for gas here so go ahead and use the restroom, walk around, whatever. Just be back in 20.”  
May, June, and Morgan beelined for the restrooms and the rest scattered.

Jackson and Tyson went into the gas station, looking for snacks.  
Their eyes met.

“... I’ll get sweet, you get salty?”  
Tyson grabbed a bag of gummy bears off the shelf, shaking Jackson’s hand. He smiled wryly and went to find chips.  
________________________

The trip to the base went quiet after that, more than half the group dozing off. In total, the trip was about 9 hours and they had left a little after 1, after lunch.   
June and Claire were the only two not listening to music or asleep. The latter of the two was watching the scenery as they passed by. It was mostly dark but just enough light from nearby houses illuminated the area.

“So,” June said. “The doctor, huh?”

Claire turned, startled out of her haze.  
“Uh, yeah. My parents always wanted me to be a doctor.” 

June hummed, crossing her legs on her seat. For a few seconds, her face fell and her eyebrows furrowed. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone.  
“Mostly, they wanted me to be happy. I’m pretty content with the idea of being a doctor, but being a doctor on the battlefield sounds even better.”

Claire resumed her window-watching.

“How’d you get into sniping?”  
She asked, putting a hand on the cold glass.

June laughed, then slapped a hand over her mouth when May stirred.   
“Uh, my brother. It’s a funny story. He hit me with a lemon slice from the second story when I was asleep outside once, bragged about only needing to use his slingshot. I got my parents to buy me a toy sniper’s gun and I guess my interest only grew from there.”

Claire smiled and yawned.  
“I think I’m gonna take a quick nap. It’s, like, 11 already.”

June agreed with her idea.  
________________________

Around 2 in the morning, they reached the base. 

Miss Pauling helped them in, reach their rooms, and left them all to sleep until morning. On her way out, she ran into Scout.

Before he could speak, she put a hand up.  
“Sorry, Scout, gotta go. I’ll talk to you some other time.”   
Just like that, she was gone.  
________________________


	2. Chapter 2: Alarm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/scoutsbonksoda

June opened her eyes.  
Her suitcase was nestled by the foot of her simple bed, still to be sorted and cleared out. The rooms they’d been given were college-dorm sized, leaving little room for anything other than a bed, dresser, and desk. 

She got out of bed and rooted through her suitcase for something to wear.  
A sticky note was stuck to the outside of her door.

****

Hey!  
Welcome to your first day with Mann Co and the team. The bathrooms are to your left, down the hall, second door on the right.  
Come to the mess hall when you’ve washed up and all, it’s father down the hall from the bathrooms and impossible to miss.  
Hope to see you soon :)  
-the Team

June snatched her phone and let out a sigh of relief. It was only 9:20 in the morning. She grabbed her bag of bathroom items and headed down.  
________________________

Tessa was in the bathroom, having just gotten up as well.  
A row of five sinks and a large mirror lined one wall while two showers and three stalls were against the other.  
“Good thing there’s only four of us, huh?”  
June said sleepily, turning on the sink. Tessa made an agreeable noise and spat out her mouthful of toothpaste.

She left with a ‘see you in the mess hall’, and the door shut behind her. June quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, running her comb through her hair.  
She set her things near a sink and left the bathroom.

On her way to the mess hall, she smiled.  
Finally, she had a chance to really be herself. Unmonitored and free, she could do what she wanted. While she had never considered herself to be too wild, she definitely wasn't a calm type. Neon lights and bright colors were her thing, although she wasn’t too sure how that would fly as a sniper.

So maybe her yellow converse would need to be replaced.

Laughter and friendly talk sounded as she rounded the corner.  
Adam, Tessa, and Reid were in the mess hall already. Adam was sitting on a countertop, talking with Tessa and a loud, dark skinned man with an eyepatch. Reid was helping someone else, a large man with what sounded like a Russian accent, make what looked like a large breakfast.  
“Hey, June!”

Tessa waved her over, grinning.  
June walked over, giving Reid and the other man a quick ‘good morning’. Adam looked very happy.  
“I found my mentor,” He said almost proudly.

“Aye, good to meet you! I’m the demolitions expert, just call me Demo.” the man said, clapping June on the back.  
“Who’re you workin’ with, eh?”

Reid came by and handed them all plates of food as June answered.  
“The Sniper. I don’t think I’ll be allowed to wear neons on the job though, huh?”

Demo’s laugh shook the table.  
“The robots would see ya comin’ a few miles away, lass!”

More and more people appeared, some from the team and some from the newer group. June was introduced to the Heavy, Scout, Engineer, and Medic. Jackson was heard laughing outside, rockets exploding. No doubt that was the soldier.  
Sniper was nowhere to be seen yet.

June sat with May and Reid, awkwardly waiting for their mentors to appear. Medic frowned, seeing the three sitting silently.  
“Scout! Please go find the other three of the team.”

His accent was strong, but everyone understood regardless. 

Scout gave him a quick two finger salute and dashed off to find them. May went back to braiding her hair.  
After a few moments, a masked figure popped into the mess hall.  
Scout appeared behind him. 

“This here is Pyro! He don’t talk much, but I promise he’s a great guy.”  
Reid got up to sit with him as Scout introduced him, saying his goodbyes to May and June. Scout made his way to them, leaning in and whispering to them.

“Spy an’ Snipes are on their way. Spy’s just bein’ real extra and Snipes was on a walk. Don’t worry, they’ll be here.”  
Reassured, the two girls nodded.

True to his word, a disheveled man with yellow-tinted glasses appeared in the mess hall. A large knife was strapped to his belt.  
“Hey. Uh, I’m the Sniper.” 

He sounded almost tired, but an easygoing smile rested on his face.  
June waved at him, a smile appearing on her face. May deflated slightly beside her. Sniper sat down beside June.  
“I’m gonna throw a wild guess here and say you’re June, right?”

“Yup. This is May. Where exactly is her mentor by the way?”  
Sniper scratched the back of his neck, giving May a sympathetic look. 

“He’s on his way, sorry for his lateness.”

“That’s okay.”  
She muttered. May left to go talk with Tyson and Morgan.  
________________________

May laid her head on one hand, watching June and Sniper talk. The odd sympathetic gaze was thrown her way by her friends, but the team seemed sure the Spy would appear soon. 

Just as she was about to leave and go organize her things, a man in a striped suit appeared. He had a mask on, but even then she could tell he was smiling.  
“Pardon my lateness. I am the Spy.”

He swept the room with a quick look and his gaze narrowed on May. She shrunk slightly in her seat as he walked over.  
“Hello, May.”

“Hi.”

There was an awkward silence between them as the rest of the team talked around them before finally, he began to chuckle.  
“I’m not going to bite, dear. You don’t need to look so scared.”

She smiled uneasily.  
Of course he wasn’t going to bite, in the metaphorical sense. She was just a shy person. Tessa skipped over to her, giving her a big hug. Scout follow behind, spinning his cap on one hand while his headset rested around his neck.

“Hey sis, there you are. I heard they’re gonna have our mentors give us a tour around the place after breakfast.”  
Tessa rested her arm on May’s head, smiling.

“We are,” Spy said, pulling a cigarette out of a case. “Whenever you are ready, May.”  
Scout was already pulling Tessa away.

“Now is fine.  
________________________

Tyson shut the door behind him.  
His room had a window, like all the others, and he set a small potted plant on the windowsill. He had asked Engineer to give him the tour later. He set to organizing his things, putting clothes in the dresser and books on the desk.

Everyone else was near finished with their tours, leaving just him and Engineer. 

“Just come and find me when you’re ready, boy.”  
He had tipped his hat and disappeared into his workshop after that. 

Tyson sat on his bed, letting out a heavy breath.

He felt better now with his room organized. With nothing left to do, he got up and went to find Engineer in his workshop.  
“Hey,” The door opened.

Engineer smiled at him and stepped out, closing the door behind him.  
“I reckon everyone else’s got their tour in already so we can go at whatever pace ya like.”

Tyson followed the other man, past the mess hall and bathrooms.  
“I think it’s safe to say you’ve been there before, so I’ll skip those. The base ain’t got much to it. Your rooms are on one side and our are on the other, if ya ever need any of us. It won’t be hard to tell which room is who’s. The medical bay’s down the other way from the mess hall. Word to the wise, don’t go in there unless ya really need help.”

Tyson looked in the windows of the doors, seeing Claire and the doctor leaning over something on a steel table.  
He decided he didn’t want to know.

“If ya ever need a bandage or some painkillers come and find me or Heavy.”  
Tyson nodded absently. 

“Now, like I said, the base ain’t much but we got some pretty fancy bits outside.”  
Engineer opened the door for him, leading him from the front of the building to the back. There, in all its glory, was a huge field.

Trees with arrows stuck in them, two trucks on the sides, a well-run trail around the field, machines that were shut off at the moment, and much more littered the open space. He spotted Scout and Tessa jumping around behind a few trees.

“It don’t look like much either, but it’s a good place.”

Tyson wandered the area, occasionally stopping to look at something Engineer pointed out or listen in.  
Eventually they wandered back to the base around lunch.

“Hey, Tyson!”  
Jackson tossed him a bottle and he grabbed it out of the air before it hit him. 

“What is that?”  
Engineer grabbed the bottle out of Tyson’s hands and scowled at the orange liquid. Medic made an irritated noise, tossing his hands in the air.

“It’s just juice!”

Tyson fought back a smile and sipped the juice.  
________________________

Their first battle helping their mentors was nothing short of chaotic.

It was unexpected, the bots appearing in a large wave. Everyone was on high alert and the group was alarmed.  
They hadn’t even been given uniforms yet and they didn’t know what weapon was most suited to them. Medic rushed onto the field, leaving the 9 of them at base with shotguns and an array of different blades.

“Now listen here kids, I know y’all’ve got no training but y’all are gonna have some things to do. Is that alright? This ain’t a game, so gimme a solid answer.”  
Engineer looked serious, a dark shadow cast over his face.

They all nodded.

“Right, perfect. Tessa, you’ll be grabbin’ bullets and spares when we need ‘em. Run fast. June, you’ll be in a tower with Sniper. He’ll be lookin’ down his scope so you make calls for the team. Warn us of anythin’ suspicious. Claire, be ready to treat wounds. Doc is good, but there’s a reason all y’all were called in. Tyson, with me. The rest of ya, you’ll be in the field. Stay behind us, shoot what we miss. Don’t go playin’ a hero and you’ll be fine.”  
Everyone scrambled to their positions, grabbing what was suggested, and together they ran out onto the battlefield.  
________________________

June watched the battle unfold next to Sniper, fiddling with her headset. 

“Ya mess with the any more and it’ll fall apart right in your hands, mate.”  
He didn’t look up from his scope as he spoke, finger hovering over the trigger. June dropped her hands immediately face turning pink. They returned to silence, June occasionally pointing out a stray bot or warning the team of an oncoming wave from the sides.

Sniper dropped his gun suddenly.  
June gave him a questioning look. He held a finger to his lips, using one arm to push her behind him. 

The sharp sound of wood breaking drew out a curse from Sniper, whipping out his kukri and assuming a defensive position.  
A scout-bot appeared in the doorway, bat posed to strike. There was quite a bit of distance between them in the large, dusty room of the old tower and the bot wasted no time rushing them. Sniper growled, slashing the arm of the bot off. 

Money escaped its body.

The bot swung behind him, getting two solid hits.  
There was a sickening crack and Sniper screamed in agony. His arm had been broken. That was enough to shake June from her terrified haze. 

She grabbed the fallen blade from the floor and swung at the bot’s head.  
It fell to the ground in a clatter of coins and bolts. Robot dealt with, June turned to Sniper. He was clutching his arm, sweat dripping from his face.

“We need to get you to Medic,” June muttered, alerting the team of their situation. She looked out the window and her heart sank. The Medic was in a difficult situation with Heavy.  
“Okay, Claire it is then.”

She slung his arm over her shoulders and they started back to the base, sticking close to the walls and avoiding even dead bots.  
Claire was waiting by the medbay’s door when they arrived.

She wasted no time getting her own set of gloves on (pink, as she had brought them herself) and helping Sniper remove his shirt, seating him on a metal countertop.  
“Okay, so…” 

Claire looked at the row of different mediguns hanging on the wall by Medic’s private office. They were complex machines, each with different functions.

“Medic taught me the basics of using all of them, but he never got into detail with each function. I’ll use the quick fix to get your arm back in order, but if it doesn’t work then you’ll have to stay here until Medic gets back.”  
Claire grabbed a gun from the row of perfectly cleaned machines and flipped a switch.

Bracing her arm on the countertop and placing a hand on the handle in the front of the medigun, she narrowed her eyes and pushed.  
As the handle moved forward, the gun hummed to life and a read beam gathered in front of the opening before shooting out to Sniper’s arm. Claire kept a careful eye on the gauge but her expression was proud. 

As his arm healed, she eased off on the handle pressure.

The beam shrank back and Sniper flexed his arm, grabbing his kukri and swinging it around in small circles.  
“Right as rain, mate. Thanks.” 

He waved June along as Claire went to cleaning and putting the medigun back in it’s place.


	3. Chapter 3: Something Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/scoutsbonksoda

Medic was less than pleased on Claire’s usage of his mediguns.

“I do suppose it was an emergency… But let me know next time, bitte.”  
He tugged his gloves off, wrinkling his nose at the blood that stained them along with his uniform while letting out a quiet ‘filthy’.

“Of course. Sorry, sir.”

Claire felt her heart sink.  
For every good thing she did, it looked as if there was always going to be something bad to follow it. Medic looked up and hesitated. 

Her face was a mask of layered emotions.  
He cleared his throat, putting his gloves in the sink to rinse later. 

“You did well. For someone so new to the operations. I did quite a bit of testing myself and each time I hesitated or pushed too much. Left my subjects with externally healed wounds, but the insides were very much still injured.”  
He chuckled, taking his student’s gloves as well, remembering his first try with the gun.

“Had to slice him back up to assess the damage and then try to heal him all over again. I didn’t put enough force into the second time however and he ended up with a scarred, sensitive mass of tissue for a leg.”  
Claire listened intently, seated on a stool. 

Medic paused to look at the mound of papers on his desk and the filthy, war-ridden tools on the counter. Before he could even speak, Claire walked over to the dirty tools and turned on the water in the sink.  
“I’ll clean these, don’t worry.”  
________________________

Jackson closed his eyes, ice pack melting in the plastic.

Soldier sat beside him, lips pressed into a tight line as they waited for Medic to finish checking over everyone else. Jackson’s gaze wandered over to him and for a few split seconds he wondered if he should say something.  
Just as he went back to resting his eyes, Soldier chuckled.

“You really hit that medbot hard, son. Did better than i really expected.”  
He was smiling now, the same crooked smile he had the first day they arrived at base. Jackson smiled sheepishly, moving the ice pack over his cheek to hide his slight blush. 

“Thanks.” 

Soldier huffed.  
“Of course, you still got a lot to learn! Don’t worry though, you’ve got the best war-hardened man on base to teach you. Where you from, son?”

“I was born in Florida,” He answered, setting the now-melted ice in his lap. “But we moved to Utah when I turned 11. Dad left us so mom wanted to get a higher-paying job, which wasn’t hard since she’s one of the smartest people I know.”  
Soldier listened intently, nodding along. His helmet bobbed along with his head.

Just as Jackson was about to ask about his mentor, the medbay door’s opened and May and Spy walked out. May was talking animatedly with Spy as he listened, a cigarette pressed between his lips.  
“Hi May.”

May noticed the other two, pausing in her story. She stared at Jackson for a little too long to be comfortable before giving a very fast wave. Jackson waved back, but she was already hurrying down the long hall.  
Spy smiled at Jackson and nodded in Soldier’s direction before following the girl.

Medic poked his head into the hall.

“Herr Soldier, please. Come in.”

Jackson followed Soldier into the medbay, sitting on a metal examination table as Claire handed him a bottle of water.  
“Well, let’s see. You two took quite the beating, though it should be fine in a matter of days. If you need, I could use the medigun, but if you just keep your wounds clean and such then they should heal quite nicely in a week.”

Soldier drank from his own bottle while Claire smoothed bandages over the nastier cuts on Jackson’s face.  
Medic sent them away after they’d been patched up and Jackson beelined for his room as soon as Soldier dismissed him.  
________________________  
June tugged her yellow converse on, happy to be in colorful clothing again.

May sat next to her, brushing out her damp hair. A shower had been their first priority, cleaning off the dust and oil. June handed a hair tie to May, letting her tie up her blonde hair.  
“You know,” June started. “It’s kinda boring here. Not much to really do. If you wanna come by my room later tonight, we can have a girl’s night. See if Claire and Tessa are up for it.”

May raised her eyebrows.

“Sounds fun. I’ll be there around 10, Spy’s got something he wanted to talk about.”  
June groaned.

“Dude, same. I think everyone’s got stuff to do with their mentors tonight, they don’t wanna risk us being unprepared in case this happens again.”  
May shrugged.

“Just makes sense, though.”

They left the bathroom, heading to the mess hall where Heavy and Engineer were talking. Engineer paused and smiled at them.  
“Hey there, y’all. There’s some stuff in the fridge if you’re feelin’ hungry.”

May took a granola bar while June opted for an orange.  
“Hey, where’s everyone else?”

Heavy motioned to the field.  
“Scout and assistant are having race. See if you want. Very loud, we do not like.”

May thanked the two mercs and headed to the field. June stayed to talk with Engineer and Heavy about books she’d read recently.  
________________________

Tessa cracked her knuckles.

Scout was fast, there was no denying that. She’d seen him flying across the battlefield during the fight, slamming his bat into the bots.

She’d just have to do her best to match his pace.

Scout was hopping in place from one side to the other, smirking. Demo and Morgan were talking with Reid, obviously placing bets on who was going to win. Adam was sitting on a stack of planks, head in his hands. Pyro was sitting next to him, waving his hands around and making balloon figures.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sister sit next to Adam and Pyro. 

Scout elbowed her, snickering.  
“You do know, you ain’t gonna win this.”

“I’ve got a fighting chance. Carried my school to nationals in track and race, won gold in the gymnastics championships, got a mile time of five minutes flat, and raced a biker across my friend’s driveway. I won.”  
Scout seemed semi-impressed, smile growing wider.

“Aight. Fair. Best ‘a luck to you then.”

The two assumed their positions and Scout called out, “Yo, Pyro! You gonna start us off or what?”  
The firebug jumped to his feet and fumbled a gun off his suit. He fired a pink shot into the air, exploding into a million sparks and just like that, the two runners were off.

Tessa fell behind Scout in a matter of seconds.

The field was large, however, with many obstacles, so she had time to catch up. This proved true as Scout slowed to crawl his way between two metal bars.  
Tessa barked out a laugh as she swerved right, kicked off a crate, and flipped over all three bars. Faintly behind her, she heard Scout complaining about how she had an advantage.

It didn’t take him long to catch up, however.

Adam watched, completely immersed.  
“She’s gotta go faster through those obstacles if she’s really looking to get a fighting chance. Scout’s gaining on her way to fast in pure running.” 

May nodded, watching Scout speed past her sister every time. He was stopped by an obstacle or two, but regained lost time in a matter of seconds.  
The last section of the track was empty.

Scout grinned.  
Nothing was in his, way he was sure to win this.

As he squirmed through the last barrier, he crowed.

Tessa landed on a crate, growling. No way she was gonna lose. She threw herself forward, tackling Scout, who yelped.  
Demo burst out laughing, slapping his leg. 

“Th’ lass pulled onea’ Scout’s own tricks on ‘em!”

They both tumbled through the finish line at the same time, bodies flying in different directions. Tessa hit the ground with a soft ‘oof’ while Scout slammed into a haystack. May helped Scout up, his grip on her hand unusually tight.  
Tessa got up on her own, echoing Scout’s groans.

“Jesus, Tessa, you weigh more than I thought.”  
He stretched his back out, unwrapping the bandages on his hands. He left to go find something to eat, guzzling from a bottle of water as he walked.

Tessa started after him as well. 

“Hey, Tess! June is having a girl’s night in her room after 10. You gonna be there?”  
May jogged to a stop next to her sister, handing her a towel to wipe her sweat with. Tessa sighed, considering.

“Sure, why not?”

May beamed up at her.  
________________________

Spy’s hands never faltered in their movements.

The butterfly knife spun before clicking into place and then back again. May watched in fascination as he did it over and over again effortlessly. 

“You’ll be learning how to do this tonight.”

May blinked up at him.  
She was keenly aware, suddenly, of how short she really was. She waved the thought away by sweeping her hair back.  
“Looks hard.” 

Spy shrugged, trading the knife for a cigarette. 

“It is the hardest thing you will learn with me, aside from using a gun. You will be on more of the sly words and perfect acting side of being a spy during your time working here. The front lines are no place for someone as small as you.”  
He handed her the knife, sheathed, and pulled one of his own from the pocket of his suit. 

“So, listen and watch carefully.”  
________________________

Claire looked up from her own desk.

Someone was knocking on the medbay doors, except it wasn’t any of the mercs. Medic opened the doors and his expression went from neutral to confused.

“Hello, fraulein. Is something wrong?”

Claire leaned to the side, catching May’s blonde hair. There was a shift in movement and Medic sighed.  
“Right. Claire,” He turned to her, stepping to the side. “Please treat May’s hands. I think I should have a talk with herr spy.”  
He left the medbay and Claire sat May down on a stool.

“Oh, yikes.”

Cuts of varying sizes, depths, and direction littered her hands and wrists. May gave a sheepish laugh. Claire turned her back for a few moments, reaching into the cabinet to grab a vial of health.

“Here. They’re not too severe so your hands will be good as new in about fifteen minutes. And, speaking of time, it’s almost 10.”  
Claire applied the lotion and together, they walked down to June’s room.  
________________________

“And that’s why I just dumped him.”

Claire was sharing her love story, the only one she had, with the other girls in the room. June made a loud noise, shoving her face in her pillow.

“Dude, I’ve been through, like, three relationships. They all SUCKED.”  
She yelled the last word, throwing a handful on popcorn in her mouth afterward. Everyone laughed. 

“You know what would be fun?”

Everyone directed their attention to Tessa, who was smirking.  
She whipped out an empty beer bottle, spinning it in her hands. Everyone knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

“Truth or dare?”  
________________________

In hindsight, it was a bad idea.

A very bad idea, Claire decided, to have chosen dare. She was near frozen in place outside, stuck in place on the dirt path leading to the garage and… Sniper’s van.

“Grab his hat,” June had giggled. “And just bring it back. Oh, but you can’t tell him!”

Well, it definitely wasn’t low on the list of ways to die, she thought to herself. May as well get it over with.  
“Death by Australian assassin,” She muttered, trudging up to the camper van and placing a hand on the handle of the door. “Sounds cooler than it would really be.”

Just as she began to twist the door open, a hand slammed into her shoulder. Claire let out an alarmed noise as she tumbled to the ground.  
“Don’t move. Who the hell are you?”

“It’s me! It’s Claire, Sniper! It’s Claire!”  
She cried out nervously, shrinking away from the blade that was inching nearer and nearer to her throat.

Sniper made an aggravated noise. 

“What’cha doin’ out here at this time’a night?” He grunted, sheathing his blade and helping her up. She dusted herself off and fumbled her words, trying to come up with an acceptable answer. In the end, she settled with the excuse of needing air.

“Just wanted to come by and see the area. Curiosity got the better of me.”

He grunted again, making no move to leave.  
There was an awkward silence that settled over the two. Finally, Claire spoke.

“So the camper is yours.”  
It wasn’t a question. There wasn’t anything to question anyway, it was blatantly obvious that the camper was his. 

He nodded.

“I don’t suppose you’ll let me inside, will you?”

A head shake.

Right.  
Defeated, she bid him a good night.

She returned to the base empty handed.


End file.
